Land-based climate mitigation in China

The paper examines the current state and future potential of land-based mitigation technologies (LMTs) in China, noting that while forestry is well-integrated into policy, other sectors like agriculture, grasslands, and wetlands remain underexploited. It argues that land-based sequestration has not been prioritized as much as energy or industry and suggests that reaching net-zero by 2060 will require improved policy frameworks, standardized procedures, and enhanced technical capacity.

• Land-based mitigation technologies (LMTs) in China have historically developed by default rather than through deliberate policy design, as land-use policies often rely on indirect indicators for carbon sequestration and have not been addressed to the same extent as the energy and industry sectors.
• Forestry is the most prominent land-use sector for carbon sequestration in China, with significant attention given to afforestation, forest management, and forest restoration in policy documents and the nationally determined contribution (NDC).
• While the 2022 Agriculture and Rural Areas Emission Reduction and Carbon Sequestration Implementation Plan signals an intent to address the agricultural sector, detailed targets for carbon sequestration are still missing. Other opportunities, such as biochar, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and the management of wetlands and grasslands, remain underexploited and largely absent from the current policy landscape.
• Achieving net-zero by 2060 will require increased focus on land sectors, particularly after China's planned carbon peak in 2030. This transition will necessitate better incentive schemes, policy frameworks, and the resolution of common barriers such as a lack of technical readiness and standardized implementation procedures.
• The 2023 restart of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) trial scheme serves as a potential financing instrument for LMTs, though its current application is primarily limited to the forestry sector.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2024). Land-based climate mitigation in China. https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Land-based climate mitigation in China. 2024. https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Land-based climate mitigation in China |date=7 February 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2024landbased, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Land-based climate mitigation in China}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/land-climate-mitigation-china/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }